Henbane

Hyoscyamus niger

COMMON NAMES

• Black Henbane
• Devil's-eye
• Henbane
• Hog Bean
• Jupiter's Bean
• Poison Tobacco
• Stinking Nightshade

Henbane - growing up to 2 feet tall, henbane has large, pale green, oval leaves with deeply toothed edges. Tiny hairs cover the stem and leaves. The flowers (July-August) are bell-shaped and 1'/4 inch long, and have mustard-yellow petals with purplish-brown throats and veins. The seeds are enclosed in 1/2-inch-long capsules.

A traditional witches' brew ingredient, henbane has suffered from a deservedly sinister reputation ever since ancient times. The narcotic alkaloids hyoscyamine, scopolamine, and atropine are derived from this ugly, foul-smelling weed. All parts of the plant are poisonous, and if eaten, even small amounts cause anything from dizziness to delirium. Too much brings slow and painful death.

In past times, henbane served as a sedative to ease pain and spasms, but the determination of a safe dose has always been a tricky business, and for long periods the medication seems to have been left alone by medical practitioners. To the Elizabethan herbalist John Gerard, henbane poisoning seemed akin to alcohol poisoning in that both caused stupor followed by comatose sleep. Externally, dressings of mashed henbane leaves reportedly ease the pains of rheumatism. Along similar lines, an Anglo-Saxon text gives this advice: "In case a man is not able to sleep, take henbane seed and juice of garden mint, shake them together, and smear the head therewith; it will be well with it."

PARTS USED

Leaves, flowering tops.

USES

Henbane is used extensively in herbal medicine as a sedative and painkiller. Henbane is specifically used for pain affecting the urinary tract, especially pain due to kidney stones, and is also given for abdominal cramping. Its sedative and antispasmodic effect makes henbane a valuable treatment for the symptoms of Parkinson's disease; relieving tremor and rigidity during the early stages of the illness. Henbane has also been used to treat asthma and bronchitis, usually as a "burning powder" or in the form of a cigarette. Applied externally as an oil, it can relieve painful-conditions such as neuralgia, sciatica, and rheurnatism. Henbane reduces mucus secretions, as well as saliva and other digestive juices. Like its cousin deadly nightshade, henbane dilates the pupils. One of henbane's active components, hyoscine, is sometimes used as a substitute for opium. Hyoscine is commonly used as a preoperative anesthetic and in motion sickness formulations.

Other medical uses
Homeopathy.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Native to western Asia and southern Europe, henbane is now found across much of western and central Europe, and North and South America. Henbane is cultivated for therapeutic use in parts of Europe, including England, and in North America. The leaves and flowers are picked just after the plant has flowered, in the first year for the annual variety and in the second year for the biennial.

CONSTITUENTS

Henbane contains 0.045 - 0.14% tropane alkaloids, especially hyoscyamine and hyoscine. Hyoscyamine and hyoscine are common to other members of the Solanaceae family, but henbane's relatively high hyoscine content gives it a more specifically sedative action than its relatives thornapple and deadly nightshade.

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